Penzance is a tobacco in a class of its own. It is a full, rich English mottled flake with plenty of latakia and an a generous mix of Orientals. Others have described it as a crumble flake since it crumsbs at the touch rather than remaining leathery like a VA flake. While it is not harsh, it is full of flavor so those looking for a lighter smoke may want to look elsewhere. The only frustration to be found with Penzance is its availability as it generally sells out as quickly as it gets stocked.

After starting out like so many on aromatics, my tobacconist gradually steered me towards some English blends. The first aroma to hit your nose after popping open a tin of Penzance is reminiscent of a moldy wet basement. The flavor upon lighting is rather intense, but totally unique to other English blends making them seem rather dull. The first half of the bowl tells you how incredibly rich and unique of a tobacco this is, and how all other blends are just mediocre in flavor. Getting down to the 1/2 way mark and to the finish it changes over to a really mellow English. I'm not sure what is in this blend, but after a bowl of it, you have the feeling of being intoxicated, and totally mellowed out. Puts you into a Zen state, which is the purpose of a fine tobacco. It is now out of stock across the country with the last Ebay auction bringing 117.00 for a 8 oz foil bag that normally sells for 29.95 This tells you how much people cherish this blend. Out of the 3500 blends or so on the market, you owe it to yourself to at least try it.

I am primarily an aromatic smoker. I must say however; that I
do not dislike English blends. On the
contrary; I have and do (thoroughly) enjoy Sasieni Balkan and EMP. Over the years I have smoked a number of other
bulk and tined English blends that I liked as well. However; Esoterica Tobacciana
Penzance threw me a curve.

It tastes of heavy Latakia and mildly sweet, then becomes light
and peppery. There is no doubting it is
an English blend but despite that, it seems to have a tolerable room note, as confirmed
by the War Department.

When I opened the tin, I was intrigued by the slightly
thicker than usual cut of the flakes and the general texture of the blend. The tin note was not very intense or
particularly interesting. But, I did
pick up on a slightly sweet and smoky aroma, with a hint of mink oil. It reminds
me of oiling up my mitt when I was a kid. The flake itself crumbles easily, and
does not require much preparation at all. Although it feels moist; it does not
really need any drying time before packing and lighting. It does pack well and
lights easily, but I did have to stir, dump, and relight about 3 times per
bowl. It seems I had much less trouble with this style of flake than I have had
with others. The ash is white and powdery, and smokes dry. I drank ice water
with each bowl.

I have smoked six flakes thus far in my evaluation of this blend,
three bowls in my Brebbia Lectura Churchwarden and a like number in my TRG
White Ringed Volcano. Each bowl seemed to have the same relative characteristics. Upon the char and true, I found Penzance produced a very heavy smoke dense with
Latakia and a little sweet. Then halfway through the bowl it changed
dramatically to a much lighter and smoother Latakia and it developed a peppery
feel and taste. I can see how a devotes of English blends would love Esoterica Tobacciana
Penzance. Myself, on the other hand, about this particular English blend I am
neither hot nor cold. Please, do not get
me wrong. Penzance is good, but I personally prefer a lighter English blend,
something a little more exciting (or more precisely) possessing brighter flavor
characteristics.

I suppose in my final assessment of Esoterica Tabacciana
Penzance I found it to be oppressive at first then much- less-so towards the
end of each bowl. The Virginias give it a bit of a nic kick, but does not over
do it. So, if you prefer Aromatics or
VaPers, I would not recommend Penzance. But, if you smoke only English blends or
prefer them to Aros and VaPers, I definitely recommend that you give it a try.

This is the for me the benchmark for the English blends. Very well blended latakia and VA,you can even see the natural sugar grains on the flakes. The flakes come beautifully arranged in the tin and when I opened it for the first time I got a whaft of hickory smoke and bacon and pine campfire. Wow. Delightful... Burns cool and is very flavourful. Puff it slowly and enjoy the medium to full taste of smoked spices. The VA in it provides enough body and sweetnes so the latakia does not get monotone.

I say "was excited" because for me there was a long time of wondering if I would ever be able to try this tobacco. I finally found a B&M in chicago that had this on the shelf in bulk, and they had four tins that were way over priced. So I bought a tin even though it was $18 and the guy gave me an ounce of bulk just to be nice. I felt like a kid on christmas morning, I don't smoke in my car so the 8hr drive home was brutal. The ounce of bulk filled my car with the smell of a very well smoked brisket, even with my wifes air fresheners in every vent in the dashboard the smell dominated. When I finally got home I broke out my Savinelli EX saucer and loaded one up.. The charring light was offputting and had a chemical taste with a strange chemical odor. I almost gave up on it right away, but I'm glad I didn't. It developed into something very unique and very pleasant, sweet and spicy with a creamy mouth feel. Once it warmed up the latakia was up front and almost blurred out everything else. But the quality of the other tobaccos was good enough where they remained noticeable in the background. The roomnote chased my wife into the den and made my daughter ask if I was grilling outside, but I found it to resemble a double maduro cigar with a hint of latakia. I highly recommend this tobacco for the overall expierience, but it's not gonna be for everybody.

Everyone should give this a try. Even if you don't care for it, you should know what everyone else is talking about. Not for the novice, the chemical smell is formaldehyde, and I suspect it is a naturally occurring byproduct of the curing process. It does not come through into the smoke, but the flavor is truly unique among English blends.

I generally dislike Esoterica blends. This is a unique experience of most any available (if you can find it). Packs, burns easily. No bite. Very relaxing N effect. The flavors are harmonious. A little spice but not overwhelming. Like cigars before the craze a flavorful easy drawing experience. Extremely recommended.